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Monday, January 13, 2014

Rouge Tomate

I'm always on the lookout for any excuse to paint red cherries. Sunday was full of tomato reds.

When I spotted Coco and Sarah's cherry tomato tarte I filed it away in my head keeping an eye out for these babies. The Sunday Marché Bastille never disappoints. Though the prices ran the gamut from 5-8€ a kilo. Ouch. I got a vender down to 4ish at the end of the marché when prices drop and bought a half kilo(1pound).

Paris marches lift the spirits. The colors, aromas and general hubbub are a great distraction.

This poissoniere had plates/plateau of fish, scallops, crabs etc. at fixed prices so you knew exactly what you're getting - such a good idea. If I wasn't headed across town I would have bought a plateau of Normandie scallops.

On Place Saint Germain, Librairie La Hune's windows were full of tomato red paintings by Kveta Pacovska.

Across Pont Neuf looking back at Charvin - the round windows to the left of the tree.

A quick turn into Place Dauphine near the pont, there's a cute little bistro, Ma Salle A Manger. Have you eaten here? The food is Basque and it's got red everywhere.

I decided to flip Coco's tomato pie and make it into a carmelized tarte tatin. But I suppose I should have flipped over the little tomatoes cut side facing up. Instead the tomatoes caramelized and stuck to the pan at the crucial turning point. I should have just followed Coco's tried and true recipe. It's one thing to mess with paints and another to change a recipe radically. It did taste quite nice even if it looks awful ;))

31 comments:

Thanks for pointing out Pacovska - love the whimsical and colorful works and the Sunday market at the Bastille is our favorite when we are in Paris - my husband insists on getting The Chicken Lady's chicken and potatoes even though we are in a hotel. They let us eat our lunch in their little breakfast room.

I love Charvin! It was such a great "stumble upon" for me in Paris. Of course I was walking along to some of the other great and colorful food locations I learned from your blog. Yum. Keep up the good work.

What a wonderful post:Red is one of our favorite colors, Pacovska is one of our favorite illustrators (we have many of her books), AND we love art supplies. Tripley good...then there are the tomatoes, oh yes, then there's you!! Thank for being wonderful and sharing your passions!!

I am absolutely swooning over this post. I tried to describe the contents to my husband....looked a bit disinterested....then I had him look/read....raised eyebrows....you have a new reader! I have had the pleasure of going to Paris many times (this past summer with grandchildren) and you just make it come alive for me...as though I am there. Thank you for the 😊😊😊 you bring to my morning

Wow serious?!Here goes:Heat a bit of olive oil + butter in a frying pan that can go into the oven.Throw in a chopped onion + a chopped clove of garlic + salt etc.Brown then set aside.Repeat the butter + olive oil and lay in halves of cherry tomatoes (but this time cut side facing up so they don't glue to the pan bottom once caramelized like mine did). Let them cook until slightly softened.Turn off heat.Then throw on top last minute a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, crumbled dried spearmint leaves, some za'atar for flavor and the reserved browned garlic-onion combo.I used the ready-made puff pastry cut in a circle to lay on top of this mess.But first i smeared on it some black olive tapenade for added flavor.Be sure to punch holes in the pastry with a fork.Let it brown and puff up in the oven 15-20 minutes all in the original fry pan.Remove and let it sit a few minutes on top.Then take a slightly larger plate, place on top and pray.Turn the pan over and hope the cherry tomatoes don't stick, but if they do just scrape em back on top of the tarte.Et voila. I made a pear tarte tatin this way and the caramelized onion tarte.It's not rocket science if i can do it ;))

Good job replying the person wanting you to translate the tomato tarte recipe! Such patience in explaining how to make it!!!!I love the photos in Charvin. I love, love, love that store! Talk about a candy store!

I love going into that Charvin shop. It is such a feel good space! I swoon over the long linen smocks/dusters. While I would love to have one, I laugh just visualizing myself in one since you should be a really serious artist to pull that off! Carolyn

Well, the tart looks fabulous. And oh! That Pacovska book is a gem. What a perfect treasure. My list (which already grew a few minutes ago with the theater) is getting longer -- I MUST visit this art store! No doubts. It definitely moves up near the top tier! I cannot resist!

What a delightful tarte tomate Carol. It doesn't look messy it looks rustic and homemade, and delicious. I was surprised to see such lovely cherry tomatoes at the market in your winter. But you put them to such a lovely seasonal use. How wonderful to see an African Grey shopping for paint! And how extraordinary to take an African Grey shopping! They are very expensive parrots. I didn't know that they had that little splash of red.

What a delightful tarte tomate Carol. It doesn't look messy it looks rustic and homemade, and delicious. I was surprised to see such lovely cherry tomatoes at the market in your winter. But you put them to such a lovely seasonal use. How wonderful to see an African Grey shopping for paint! And how extraordinary to take an African Grey shopping! They are very expensive parrots. I didn't know that they had that little splash of red

Paris Mail

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5. I'm still at it, now tripping over cobblestones, living in a 6th-floor garret on l'Ile Saint-Louis, Paris. Read Parisbreakfast with a hot chocolate and croissant.
I paint Paris breakfasts.